The Quadzilla – 60 Minutes of Leg Destruction

You’re going to hate me. You’re going to wish you had never read this article. And when you sit on the porcelain throne tomorrow, you will curse my name with an agony-drenched voice. Walking up stairs will be painful. Walking down stairs will be painful. Walking to the fridge will be painful. Blinking will be painful.

If this sounds like fun to you, then you’re ready to try this workout. I call it the quadzilla. I know that’s not a very original name. In fact, it’s named after the king of quads, Tom Platz. Tom Platz was quadzilla. And you’re about to step into the Tom Platz zone.

The Quadzilla

The Quadzilla isn’t a marathon workout. You will hit the gym, hammer you legs, and get out. This workout shouldn’t last more then 60 minutes. But the deep soreness may last more then 7 days.

You should also note that this leg workout is intended to be used as a shocker. Please don’t use this workout week in and week out. Consider it a rut buster; a workout to pull out of your toolbox when you need to nudge your legs into the growth zone.

The Quadzilla Workout

The following exercises will be used for the quadzilla workout:

• Squat. 3 sets of varying reps.
• Leg Press. 3 sets of varying reps.
• Hamstring Curl. 8 sets x 10 reps, volume training style.
• Lunge Walking. 5 minutes of lunge walking (or lunging), performed in rest-paused segments.

Squats

Squats are the cornerstone of the quadzilla workout. They will be performed first. Do not swap out squats with another exercise. By the time you're finished with these four sets, you may be ready to head home.

Remember to stick closely to the indicated rest periods. Limited rest between sets is a vital component of the quadzilla workout. If you take liberties with rest between sets, you will be reducing the effectiveness of the workout, and stretching it into a marathon session.

You will perform four sets of squats as follows:

• Squats, set 1. Pick a weight approximately 60% of your one rep max (1RM). Perform 20 reps with this weight. So if your squat max is 400 pounds, you will perform 20 reps with 240 pounds. Rest 5 minutes after this set. This will be the longest rest period of the quadzilla workout.
• Squats, set 2. Using the same weight as you used during the first set, perform 15 reps. Rest only 3 minutes after this set.
• Squats, set 3. Time to add some weight to the bar. Move up to 70% of your 1RM, and perform 10 reps. If your squat max is 400 pounds, you will be using 280 pounds for this set. After this set, you’ll be ready to pack it in, and head home. But you’re far from being done! Rest 3 minutes after this set.

Leg Press

By now you’ve been in the gym for about 20 to 25 minutes. You’re beat, and don’t feel much like walking.

Leg presses will be used with an extremely high volume of reps. If you don’t have access to a leg press, perform leg extensions instead. Rest only one minute between sets. You will have to use your best judgment for these sets. I will provide you with a target rep range. Try to use a weight that assures you of being able to perform the recommended reps. This weight will be lighter then normal. That’s OK. The point isn’t to load the bar …the point is to overload your legs with a high volume of work, and force then to grow.

• Leg Press, set 1. Your goal on this set is to hit a minimum of 20 total reps. Getting to 20 should be hard, but not impossible. Choose the weight accordingly. Rest one minute after this set.
• Leg Press, set 2. Strip off a plate or two from the last set. It will be difficult, if not grueling, to get up, remove plates from the previous set, and position yourself in time for another set. But it must be done! Your goal on this set is to hit a minimum of 30 total reps. Getting to 30 should be hard, but not impossible. Rest one minute after this set.
• Leg Press, set 3. During this set, you just might start hallucinating. Strip weight from the previous set, and get back into position. Your goal for this set is 50 reps. It might look to a casual bystander that you’re being a weakling, but push those thoughts out of your mind. You want insane leg growth, don’t you?

After this set, rest 3-5 minutes before moving on to hamstring curls.

Hamstring Curls

If you’ve survived both the squats and leg press, it might now be difficult for you to read the clock on the wall. You’ll be feeling drained, weak, and like you are traveling through a rift in the space-time continuum…or something like that. Or, you just may feel like you’ve died.

Fear not! You’re still alive. And you’re not finished yet! You’ve been hammering your legs for about 35 to 40 minutes, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now it’s time for some hamstring curls.

• Hamstring Curls. Use a weight that is about 30-40% lighter then normal. So if you rep out with 100 pounds for 6-12 reps, use 60 to 70 pounds for these sets. Perform 10 reps, then rest exactly one minute. Continue this process until you have finished 8 total sets.

This rep/set scheme is a variation of the German Volume Training protocol.

Rest 3-5 minutes after these sets.

Lunge Walking

This is where we separate the men from the boys. You’ve been at if for nearly 55 minutes, and only have 5 minutes to go. If you’re still breathing, it’s time to do some lunge walking. If you can’t walk in your gym, perform standard lunges.

• Lunge Walking. The pattern for this is simple…perform lunges for 30 seconds, then rest 30 seconds. Repeat this pattern 5 times. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It would be if you could still feel your legs!

Notes

The quadzilla is an extreme leg workout. Don’t perform the quadzilla more then once a month. You may not be able to walk to your car when you’re finished. And as I've warned, you may not be able to walk for the next 7 days.

Eat like a monster post-workout. It’s also a good idea to eat like a beast for a week following completion of the quadzilla. You might also need to shop for larger pants.